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BLOOMINGTON — Fans of toys, comic books and card games can indulge in Bloomington this weekend.

The first Midwest Toy and Comics Fest opens Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Interstate Center, 1106 Interstate Drive. Organizer Ethan Goodey, 22, of Lincoln, said he wants a healthy mix of cosplayers, panels and activities at the party.

And with Halloween approaching next month, visitors may encounter some “terrifying” guests.







Ethan Goodey

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Aside from the range of vendors, Goodey said he’s most excited about Saturday’s 6 p.m. “Last Panel Rave,” produced by Lexington House Massive, of Lexington, Kentucky. He said there will be four DJs: DJ Mannino, DJ Embry.0, DJ $weetboy and DJ Jon Dose.

Goodey said they will mix styles like EDM, funk, house, trap and techno.

“We’ve seen them perform live before and they are simply stunning,” he said.

There will be beer and spirits for sale.

About 100 merchandise tables sold out the week before the event, Goodey said, with a total of 30 vendors confirmed to be in attendance.

There will be lots of toys and comics, plus lots of art sellers. He said they are from Chicago, Decatur, Springfield and Indianapolis, plus Michigan and Missouri.

Co-organizer Mickey Tate said each seller will have unique items, and they hope this will bring variety to everyone who attends the show.

Goodey said they are also adding more of a trading card game cup concept to it. A new hit game called MetaZoo will have a tournament at the festival with exclusive tickets awarded to winners, he said.

“That doesn’t happen a lot of shows,” he said.

Goodey agreed that MetaZoo is similar to Pokemon in that it contains cryptid creatures such as Bigfoot, Mothman, and Chupacabra. He added that game rules include four-dimensional effects, where map stats are based on whether players are in an urban environment, near water features, or at night.

Goodey said those stats are either “polished” or “de-polished” based on your environment. He also noted that ticket sales for MetaZoo Magic surpassed the Gathering and Pokemon in 2021.

Justin Glenn from Lincoln Sportscards and Gaming will help run that tournament, Goodey said.

Other tournaments being held include a Super Smash Brothers Brawl on Nintendo Switch, which is sponsored by Tate’s company, Primary Collectibles in Lincoln, as well as a Mortal Kombat tournament.







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Shown are cosplayers with Bloomington Horrors, a group of about 10 people who appear in costumes of 1980s horror icons such as Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Photo taken in the fall of 2021.


PROVIDED BY BLOOMINGTON HORRORS


Tate also said they are holding a costume contest, which includes a children’s section for ages 13 and under, plus an adult group. The contest will be judged by panelists Wyatt Weed and Brian Prince, along with a Jason Voorhees cosplayer from Bloomington Horrors.

Prices are set at $100 cash for adults and $50 cash for children, Tate said.

Goodey said Weed will be their biggest panelist. He is from Springfield, was a boar predator in the 1990 release of Predator 2 and was a film producer for ‘Star Trek Voyager’.

Prince was a stunt actor in “Black Panther” and filled the role of Predator in the 2018 reissue of the film, Goodey said.

Daniel Pesina returns to Bloomington for the festivities this weekend, after being paneled at the BN Video Game Convention in May. Goodey said Pesina is a master martial artist from Chicago, who acted motion-capture for Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Reptile and Sub-Zero in the first three Mortal Kombat games.

He also said that Pesina was a foot soldier in the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” movies and worked with Raphael.

Frank Bosco will also do panels. Goodey said he helped write all of the TMNT comics for DC Comics.

Horrors bloom

Dressing up as Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers or Freddie Kruger, Pete Saratavich, 44, said he and his fellow cosplayers like to go off the beaten path.

He explained that they are not just out to “scare people.”

“We do funny things,” said Saratavich of Bloomington. “We go into the club and pretend to have a beer like Jason or Michael Myers.”

He said they scare people, but also show some humor from the horror icons of the 80s. His group, Bloomington Horrors, will keep the terror alive at the Midwest Toy and Comic Fest this weekend.

While he doesn’t yet consider his organization a business, Saratavich said he would eventually like to start it as a promotional company with several different characters on deck. He said that if they act like character, they will hand out freebies like card candies to promote local businesses.







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A Jason Voorhees cosplayer featuring Bloomington Horrors interacts with passersby outside Fat Jacks in Bloomington in Fall 2021.


PROVIDED BY BLOOMINGTON HORRORS


He runs the group with his brother, Devin Dyers, and works with about 10 other cosplayers. And they don’t just do horror characters.

“We also like comics (books) so we try to broaden our horizons a little bit and do a little bit of everything,” he said.

Saratavich said their funniest moments are when Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers pose casually with others.

“People literally think that’s the most hilarious thing in the world,” he said.

And those interactions with people are what he likes most about wearing realistic costumes.

“I really liked the whole response of your hard work to show off,” he said, as well as the artist’s efforts.

Is there anything scarier at Halloween than a kid who’s overdosed on sugar? Buzz60’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story.


Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison